The Papers, Please short film will debut on YouTube this weekend

Movies based on videogames have generally been received about as well as a flaming dog egg through the mailbox, but the upcoming short film based on the 2013 indie hit Papers, Please will hopefully buck that trend. Announced in May 2017 and properly teased last October, the filmmakers announced today on Facebook that it will be released on YouTube on February 24, followed by a Steam debut a few days later.

The Papers, Please film will be about ten minutes in length, so even without taking the subject matter into account it's obviously isn't going to be a summer blockbuster. But it does look set to capture the relentlessly grim, grinding ambiance of a game about determining who lives and who's destined for other things on the border of a closed communist state.

That's not necessarily "fun," but it does sound suitably akin to the game, which we described in our 2013 review as a "ticket to emotional manipulation, left brain stimulation, and elegantly-paced virtual paperwork wrapped in clever storytelling."

If you missed the October trailer when it first rolled around, you can "enjoy" it below.

Thanks, Shacknews.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.